Jol driven by unfinished business in England

Soccernet revealed on Wednesday that Jol had leapt to the front of the queue of candidates and, since then, talks have advanced - though Fulham have been surprised at Jol's willingness to quit Ajax, one of Europe's most prestigious clubs, in favour of Craven Cottage.

Sources close to Fulham have confirmed to Soccernet that negotiations to bring Jol to Fulham remain ongoing, but are expected to be resolved within the next 48 hours.

His wife's love of London has certainly played a role in the return and Jol has retained his family home in the English capital since his Spurs exit in anticipation of such a move, which he was sure would arrive one day.

The Dutchman rejected the chance of a move to the Midlands after leaving Tottenham, and instead switched to Germany with Hamburg, and then back to the Netherlands with Ajax, as he waited patiently for a job offer in London.

Jol believes he has unfinished business in England; having taken Spurs to two successive fifth place finishes in the Premier League, he was confident that he could have led the club into the top four.

His appointment comes as a major coup for chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed and will be confirmed on Tuesday at the latest.